Rust on my basement pipes taught me something I should have known

I was checking on some old galvanized pipes in my basement last Sunday and found a spot of rust. Figured I'd just scrub it off with steel wool, but my neighbor Tim, who's a plumber, happened to walk by. He told me that mixing steel wool with rust actually speeds up the corrosion process. I looked it up later on a plumbing forum and yeah, the steel particles get embedded and rust even more. Been using vinegar and a nylon brush ever since. Anyone else learn a fix the hard way like that?

3 comments

3 Comments

patriciah5125d ago

My uncle did the same thing with aluminum foil on his car battery terminals, thought he was cleaning them up nice but the foil left tiny metal bits behind that made the corrosion way worse. It's wild how our quick fixes often backfire like that. I've noticed this pattern with using duct tape on everything too, it seems like a solution but the sticky residue just attracts more dirt and makes the real fix harder later.

skylerrobinson26d ago

Well, well, well, another person learning the hard way that "cleaning" with metal is like asking a cat to guard your fish. @williamm82, your uncle and I should start a support group for people who thought they were being handy but just made things worse.

williamm8226d ago

My uncle did the same thing with aluminum foil and his car battery terminals. He thought he was cleaning them up nice but the foil left tiny metal bits behind that made the corrosion way worse. It's wild how our quick fixes often backfire like that. I've noticed this pattern with using duct tape on everything too. It seems like a solution but the sticky residue just attracts more dirt and makes the real fix harder later. Sometimes the obvious shortcut really isn't the right call.